V01 i8ot VI ] Recent Literature. 205 



Bird being raised at the expense of a brood of some far more useful 

 species. The European House Sparrow's numerous bad traits are 

 recounted, and he is likewise credited with many good deeds. In the 

 author's opinion, his good traits about balance his mischievous ones, as 

 he is at present represented in Ontario, but he thinks the species should 

 not be allowed to greatly increase. Of course, the Woodpecker, Cuckoos, 

 Thrushes, Warblers, and Flycatchers, are highly commended and their 

 protection strongly advocated. This useful pamphlet closes with a 

 reprint of the Ontario 'Act for the Protection of Insectivorous and other 

 Birds ' ; the species exempted from protection are " Hawks, Crows, Black- 

 birds, and English Sparrows." The 33 full-page original illustrations 

 are not especially artistic, but will probably aid the farmer in distin- 

 guishing between his friends and foes. — J. A. A. 



Stejneger on the Birds of the Kurile Islands. 1 — This appears to be the 

 first attempt to enumerate the birds of the Kurile Islands, which are, 

 zoologically speaking, as yet a terra incognita. The only important col- 

 lection of birds made there, since Steller's visit more than a century 

 ago, was gathered by Capt. II. J. Snow, and passed into the hands of 

 Capt. Blakiston and Mr. Pryer, who reported upon it in their paper 'The 

 Birds of Japan', published in 1882. Dr. Stejneger's list is an attempt " to 

 lay a foundation upon which others may build." and for this purpose 

 he has "gathered together all of the materials and records" accessible 

 to him. In most cases the information is meager and unsatisfactory, and 

 should serve to call attention to this extensive chain of islands, " about 

 630 miles long," as an important field for zoological investigation. Dr. 

 Stejneger's list numbers 146 species. — J. A. A. 



Clark on the Feather Tracts of North American Grouse and Quail. 2 — 

 At great expense of time and trouble Dr. Clark succeeded in securing 

 either fresh or alcoholic examples of all the genera, and of nearly all the 

 species of North American Grouse and Quail for the purpose of studying 

 their ptervlosis. In the present paper of a dozen pages and three plates 

 Ave have the results of his investigations. As the field was nearly new, 

 the paper proves a valuable contribution to pterylography and also to 

 North American ornithology. The information is both interesting and 

 instructive, but does not have a decisive bearing on any points of taxon- 



1 The Birds of the Kurile Island. By Leonhard Stejneger, Curator, Division 

 of Reptiles and Batrachians. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 1144, Vol. XXI, pp. 

 269-296. 



2 The Feather-Tracts of North American Grouse and Quail. By Hurbert 

 Lyman Clark, Ph. D., Instructor in Zoology, Amherst College. Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., No. 1166, Vol. XXI, pp. 641-653, with plates xlvii-xlix. 



